we did not establish if there are valid positions for one but worst case I'd try to anchor it to two walls on a corner - it may not hold but it may soften the fall.
Given all the extra supports and such that have been added to the staircase to keep it from COMPLETELY falling apart, I am ruling that there are enough anchor points.
As the group scatters, a massive crash is heard from above as what looks to be a giant broze bell comes crashing through the ceiling. It bounces off the walls a few times as it pinballs down the Shadow Clocktower taking out a chunk of stairs or railing with it and is streaking direcly toward Drasven and Lia.
As the giant bronze bell comes crashing towards her, Lia instinctively throws Arcane Energy in it's way. Quickly unfolding into a large spread of webbing between several support beams, the walls, and anything close by, the arcane obstacle tries it's best to hold - or at least divert - the large metal object.
I assume me, Drasven and Rojava are all happily covered in webbing...but that is definitely preferably over getting hit by that thing AND taking fall damage...AND counting all the steps again.
I assume me, Drasven and Rojava are all happily covered in webbing...but that is definitely preferably over getting hit by that thing AND taking fall damage...AND counting all the steps again.
I LOVE that interpretation and image and I am going with that!
The bell's impressive momentum is momentarily arrested as the web bulges under the weight. Finally, the strength of the bell wins and it tears through its bindings and crashes into the dirt floor of the Shadow Clock tower dozens of feet below.
Drasven, Lia, and Ro, who were all near Lia when she cast the spell, are covered in webbing and glued to the wall and stairs.
Standard CMB or Escape Artist check needed to break free from the web, as per the spell's description. Lia, I'm assuming the DC is 16, yes?
Ro stays right where she is for a little while, staring at the craziness that suddenly unfolded. Her only comment when the bell breaks through and falls to hit the ground is "holy s$!&", but she does relax just a little.
She starts trying to free herself from the webbing pinning her to the wall, but that doesn't go anywhere useful. Once she realizes this she stops struggling.
"Phew...that was close, wasn't it?", Lia leans back into the webbing,
then squints at the ceiling. "Do you think they have more bells up there?"
Trying to get her hand free to scratch, she quickly gives up, then turns as far towards Rojava as she can:"Yes, Ro? Was I too loud? Sorry."
I know you want me to dismiss it, but I'd prefer to first get an analysis on remaining stability from Drasven or someone. Just because it didn't slam into us doesn't mean it didn't do plenty of structural damage otherwise. Wouldn't want to dismiss the web and half the stairs we are on start plummeting without some anchoring ...
When Lia looks up, she momentarily sees two pairs of eyes staring down at her through the gaping hole in the floor far (at least 40 feet) above her. As soon as they notice her looking, they duck out of sight and are not seen again.
"Oh, the guys who accidentally dropped the bell...I guess they are happy nobody got hurt.", Lia notifies the others of her observation, trying to lift a hand but failing.
AC 19 (21) T 15 FF 14(16)| F +8 R +8 W +6 | Init +3(+5) | Perc +13 | CMB +12 | CMD 23 | Speed 30 |Enlarge Self: 6rds/day as a Swift (-0)| Fav. Terrain (Forest )/Enemy(Giants+2/Undead+4) |
Temp:
Karmid grimaces under the fear that locked his heart for a moment...but Lia saves the day again. Her magic can be so very useful, but is always tied up in a straight jacket of soulful knots that are so hard to disentangle.
He turns to watch and focus on the swaying stairway upward, and trying to anticipate their enemies' next move.
"Everyone OK? Shout out...count off...Something! Tell me you all lived through that?"
Drasven is in perfect pose with a hand stuck on the wall and his back plastered against it as well. It looks like he's trying to either push off the wall or holding it up based on his well webbed up legs also on said wall.
His face though is occupied by what could possibly be sheer terror as his gaze is fixated on his white sticky beard which used to be greyish with hints of white.
Why am I actually waiting for someone else to check... Knowledge(Engineering):1d20 + 8 ⇒ (14) + 8 = 22Is the remainder of the stairs structurally sound enough that dismissing the web won't cause trouble?
Flutter, who was above and beyond the reach of both Web and Bell, comes closer, flying past destroyed support beams and broken wood, before sharing his findings with Lia and the others.
If Flutter claims that it is safe to do so, Lia will dismiss the web.
Otherwise, she will chill in her sticky hammock, staring the hole in the ceiling to see if someone can be seen again.
If there's too much structural damage, we may want the people up front to find some safe spot to secure a rope or something.
AC 19 (21) T 15 FF 14(16)| F +8 R +8 W +6 | Init +3(+5) | Perc +13 | CMB +12 | CMD 23 | Speed 30 |Enlarge Self: 6rds/day as a Swift (-0)| Fav. Terrain (Forest )/Enemy(Giants+2/Undead+4) |
Temp:
Hearing all the familiar voices allows Karmid to sigh a bit in relief. He then continues upward near the top of the stairs and decides to stop for a moment.
He sets down his hammer and pulls out a 50ft rope from his pack that he'd been carrying since the day the group had left Sandpoint.
He ties it off carefully and tosses the free end down toward the others as he retrieves his hammer and calls out.
"OK...Everybody? I've set a rope just in case things get hairier. If you can reach it once you are all out of the web, then you should have no trouble getting the rest of the way up. I will wait here and guard the top of the rope until someone else can reach my location to protect it."
He then stands guarded, watching the final steps upward, sweating silently and hoping any enemy above waits just a bit more before attacking again...
CMB, attempt to get un webbed. 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (1) + 6 = 7
You know I realized it's quite comfy here.....Others might call me Stuck up but I'll just hang around.
"Yeah, we'll get to that rope and so forth as soon as we can Karmid. Kinda tied up with other things right now."
Ro is past frustrated to resigned. They've cocked this whole thing up badly, and there's nothing to fix it. They will just have to let it play out and hope for the best.
She tries angling her head up for a better view of what's above.
"Oh, in that case.", Lia attempts to nod at Flutter, then focuses really hard.
A moment later, the web dissolves into strands of smoke that swiftly vanish into thin air.
Following that, she stands perfectly still.
While Karmids rope was dangling temptingly close, she very much remembered to remain spread out and not group up, which certainly was all the more true after the bell. And since she was the last one...was she? Lia turns around to check Yeah, she was... - since she was the last one that meant she would grab the rope last and move up.
"Ro goes up first, then I'll be next and Lia last. Is the rope knotted?" Drasven asks after checking his footing before checking his beloved beard.....
AC 19 (21) T 15 FF 14(16)| F +8 R +8 W +6 | Init +3(+5) | Perc +13 | CMB +12 | CMD 23 | Speed 30 |Enlarge Self: 6rds/day as a Swift (-0)| Fav. Terrain (Forest )/Enemy(Giants+2/Undead+4) |
Temp:
Straining to watch for more attacks from above, Karmid replies testily.
"Its just a rope! You're lucky its tied off at all!"
Helping each other out, you make your way up the now barely useful staircase attached to the inner wall of the Shadow Clocktower, making sure to keep plenty of room. Near the top, you can see that the staircase climbs through to another level whose floor now has a large gaping hole through it torn by the bell. Through that hole you can see that there are other large bells hung from the ceiling in that upper room similar to the one that almost killed you; they are currently not moving and no noise escapes from that area in general. Looking further up, you can also see another wooden ceiling above this floor, meaning that it's not the top floor of the clocktower. Judging by how high the clocktower looked on the outside, you guess that the floor above the one housing the bells must be near the top.
Note: Although I have given you a description of the floor above you (which you are still about 25 feet from entering), the hole in the floor that the bell broke through only allows you to see about 25% of the room.
Also, are you all tied to each other with the rope? I am unsure whether you are doing that or not.
If there is no need to actually climb, I figured the rope would more serve as a "help" you can hold on to during difficult passages, not actually tied together. For our purposes, it should be enough, and it allows us to remain flexible(if e.g. the floor below someone starts being unstable - if we are tied together everybody else has to move more or less simultaneously - unless we give so much room that anybody falling would gain enough momentum to simply pull the next people with them...)
AC 19 (21) T 15 FF 14(16)| F +8 R +8 W +6 | Init +3(+5) | Perc +13 | CMB +12 | CMD 23 | Speed 30 |Enlarge Self: 6rds/day as a Swift (-0)| Fav. Terrain (Forest )/Enemy(Giants+2/Undead+4) |
Temp:
Flutter, Figment Sage Butterfly wrote:
If there is no need to actually climb, I figured the rope would more serve as a "help" you can hold on to during difficult passages, not actually tied together. For our purposes, it should be enough, and it allows us to remain flexible(if e.g. the floor below someone starts being unstable - if we are tied together everybody else has to move more or less simultaneously - unless we give so much room that anybody falling would gain enough momentum to simply pull the next people with them...)
This. =) Its just a dangling rope intended to help everyone who can climb at all. Better than nothing...
"Move up. We need to see who dropped that bell. We may have have them cornered now. Beware...who knows what is up here. Watch the shadows and fear anything that might be magically invisible. Always fear a cornered animal."
When everyone is across the gap safely Ro continues upward, but she does use a bit of magic to put herself into a highly stimulated and aware state. She's certain trouble is waiting ahead.
Casting Heightened Awareness before proceeding on upward.
Carefully creeping forward, you enter the room you had peaked into from below. Three immense bronze bells hang from timbers here, affixed by rusting lengths of chain and thick rope. Above the bells are massive gears and clockworks, enough they seem both rusted and scavenged, with many of the smaller components missing entirely. The rickety wooden staris wind up and around them but don't quite reach the ceiling above, coming to an end at an opening in the wall. Here the stairs continue up the exterior of the tower to a room that must lie just beyond the ceiling directly above the bells.
The room looks otherwise unoccupied but obviously has had frequent recent use.
AC 19 (21) T 15 FF 14(16)| F +8 R +8 W +6 | Init +3(+5) | Perc +13 | CMB +12 | CMD 23 | Speed 30 |Enlarge Self: 6rds/day as a Swift (-0)| Fav. Terrain (Forest )/Enemy(Giants+2/Undead+4) |
"I am CERTAIN there were people here.", Lia states, then turns around. "They are hiding. I am not crazy. I think!"
Lia stops, then starts an incantation. If she manages to finish,
Summon Minor Monster:1d3 ⇒ 2 celestial bats appear and start to circle the bells.
Flight 40 feet good maneuverability and 20 feet blindsense. I expect them to check if they can find any hostiles nearby. And for that purpose, I consider any invisible creatures hostile.
I know they could have retreated further up, but I'd like to make sure there will be no nasty surprises behind us when we push on. One Level 1 slot is worth some peace of mind.
Ro's augmented mental state doesn't help with anything at the tower, but she does make a connection that had previously eluded her.
The songs for the play... I wasn't writing for the characters so much as writing myself. I'm the "Dark Faerie Lover", which I guess places Ryn in the position of the "Faerie Queen". That's depressing. I'm a s**@ and I know it without knowing it.
Ro stops for a minute to stand against the wall, placing her head back against it. She lets the others do the looking around. They have bats now anyway.
AC 19 (21) T 15 FF 14(16)| F +8 R +8 W +6 | Init +3(+5) | Perc +13 | CMB +12 | CMD 23 | Speed 30 |Enlarge Self: 6rds/day as a Swift (-0)| Fav. Terrain (Forest )/Enemy(Giants+2/Undead+4) |
Temp:
GM BrOp wrote:
I'll see if anyone else wants to do anything in the belfry. If no one does, we'll continue upwards :)
See? I trust my team to watch my back. Even the crazier ones... =)
I keep getting "request rate exceeded" message when I try to post to Paizo.com, so if anyone knows what that's about, please let me know! Apologies in the meantime for the delay.
As the bats fly about the belfry they begin to screetch loudly. Seconds later, three humanoid shapes carrying longswords detach themselves from inside the bells themselves and scurry into defensive positions in the corner.
"Ha, I knew it!", Lia exclaims, then rushes over into another corner. "My corner!", she shouts triumphantly, then unleashes a Bolt of Lightning at 2 of the creatures.
Flutter follows his mistress, trying to remain hidden himself while stealing a glance at the creatures, hoping to identify them.
Knowledge(any):1d20 + 8 ⇒ (4) + 8 = 12
Unfortunately staying behind the bells to keep out of sight himself also complicates getting a good luck at the enemies.
AC 19 (21) T 15 FF 14(16)| F +8 R +8 W +6 | Init +3(+5) | Perc +13 | CMB +12 | CMD 23 | Speed 30 |Enlarge Self: 6rds/day as a Swift (-0)| Fav. Terrain (Forest )/Enemy(Giants+2/Undead+4) |
Temp:
Rushing back past everyone, and seeing Lia's lightning light up the room, Karmid moves along the opposite wall and around toward the enemy revealed.
As he nears them, reeling in the corner, Karmid slows and enlarges himself to fill the area between the bells.
Double move and swift action to enlarge myself for one round. If they want to get past me or flank me, they will have to go over the hole in the floor (or past Lia) to do it somehow. Correct?
More than Bats in the Belfry, Round 2
The three faceless stalkers seem to realize that they are hopeless outmatched, and flee for the exit. The first is able to get by Drasven, and exit onto the stairs that move out onto the outside of the tower, while the second and third are close behind them. The three faceless stalkers double move.
FYI, I was able to move them around outside everyone's "zone of control" (including Karmid's massive one) due to cover from the bells (since cover blocks AoOs).
"I said BRZZZT!", Lia shouts, stepping past Rojava and sending another bolt of lightning at the 2 fleeing stalkers. "You drop bells, bells drop you! That bell did nothing to you. NOTHING!"
Electric Bougaloo:9d6 ⇒ (3, 1, 4, 6, 5, 6, 4, 1, 1) = 31 Reflex DC 18 half
Feel free to interact in the Gameplay thread. The adventure will start once everyone has checked in on the Gameplay side. No need to use your sample post as your first post unless you want to.
A bit about me.
I have been running and playing D&D since I was 12. In high school I ran a 2ed Ravenloft campaign off and on as players were interested and available.
In college I ran a VAMPIRE the Masquerade game with the characters hitting snapshots of time from 1190 to 2000.
Since 2002 Table Top I have run:
A 3.0/3.5 Forgotten Realms campaign from 1st to 37th level utilizing various 2ed and 3ed modules as well as home brew adventures.
The Age of Worms (plus other side quests) with the characters topping out at to 24th level.
I now run a Waterdeep based campaign with the players at 7th level having just arrived at New Waterdeep in Maztica.
Since 2012 here on the Boards I have run:
A V20 Dark Ages game on the boards for 3+ years currently with 13 players one from each Clan.
I stepped in to DM a 5E Ravenloft campaign when the DM disappeared.
A Way of the Wicked game which two other DM's vanished from.
A Call of Cthulhu campaign Beyond the Mountains of Madness.
And now this.
I also play in about 12 other campaigns.
Point being i have been doing this for a while and I will not vanish as I have seen many DM's on these boards do.
Thank you for picking up a second table. I look forward to finally playing through this AP. Do you have any preferences for the format of status bars?
Not a problem, there were just to many good submissions to allow so many people to not get in a game!
Plus I find that it is hard to get into a game when there is not a big track record of already being in games which is why I seriously considered prior PbP history for this group.
This is an interesting group mix with no dedicated healer. However 2 Bards with Cure Light Wounds, a Druid, and a Paladin should make up for that collectively.
No preference for status bar formats.
I will handle all Perception & Initiative checks for the PC's on my side and do Block Initiative to remain consistent in what I am doing in my WoTW game as it has been working well so far. I am not a huge online map DM but if it becomes necessary I will seek some out. I generally prefer to explain the scene in front of the PCs than use maps.
One of Karina's archetypes does replace spell-casting and another replaces Mercies. So, she's not a healing focused paladin. Her specialty is protecting others and shining a bright light into the darkness.
She still has her base Lay-on-hands ability for some healing later, she'll be able to do some other things with it.
As for maps, since I do most of my posting from mobile devices (phone and tablet) I've found that Google Slides is the "best" option. Or at least the one where I don't have to ask others to move my avatar. It's got all the features of Google Drawings, but also a native app.
She still has her base Lay-on-hands ability for some healing later, she'll be able to do some other things with it.
As for maps, since I do most of my posting from mobile devices (phone and tablet) I've found that Google Slides is the "best" option. Or at least the one where I don't have to ask others to move my avatar. It's got all the features of Google Drawings, but also a native app.
When I think of Paladin healing I generally think of Lay on Hands.
Should we figure out some prior relationships and so forth considering our fairly long shared past at the beginning?
Feel free to do so. I will not require it though.
While you may all study at the same Cathedral, you all worship different Gods and have different duties which the Gods expect from you. So it is possible that some of you may have passed by one another for years without engaging each other.
I once went out on a date with a girl I spent three years in Law School with including overlapping classes and our first date the was the first time we ever spoke to one another.
So, we have a Sarenite paladin, two bards (one Desnan, one Shelynite), a Gozreh druid, an Abadaran ranged fighter, an Erastilian monk, and a Desnan arcanist. A very interesting and unusual group.
One thing that I'm noticing is that we may be skewed a bit toward ranged combat with a ranged fighter, a zen archer, and my intention to go ranged with Rojava. Think I should plan to be more of a melee skirmisher?
M Human (Chelaxian) Fighter 1 | AC 16 (t 13) (ff 13) | F+4, R+4, W+3 | CMD 16 | Init +3, Per +3 | HP 11/11 | Hero Points 1
Definitely think that this will be an interesting group to be a part of. It will be nice to see how Marcelano learns to get along with the less lawfully inclined members of the party.
Edit: Block Initiative? What's that? I'm unfamiliar with the term.
Definitely think that this will be an interesting group to be a part of. It will be nice to see how Marcelano learns to get along with the less lawfully inclined members of the party.
I'd been hoping to get in with Rojava - that icon is just so cheerful!!
I don't know if Sandpoint has ever had ... oh, wait, it has. Sandpoint officially has 1,240 people, so it's a small town, and isn't actually all that large; going off the map, it's got at most 125 families, and maybe a lot fewer. Going with 125, though, puts the average at 10 people per family - 1 grandparent living with the family, 2 adults, and 7 children, some of whom may be old enough to be considered adults. Going off typical sociology, most everyone will 'recognize everyone by sight', even if you don't know their name. Going off various sociological research of medieval-level societies (I cannot recommend S. John Ross's Medieval Demographics Made Easy enough), there'll be 31 members of the clergy, but only 2 actual priests. With Sandpoint, that might actually shift a bit in favor of the clerics - 6 clerics, one for each god, and 27 members of the clergy (i.e. acolytes, etc.), including us. We should all know each other by face and name, especially since (I presume) we're all living on the temple grounds itself (that square of buildings 'behind' the temple I would guess to be living quarters, kitchen, etc.).
Except for myself, all of you have been in Sandpoint, living at the temple complex, for at least 4 years; there is only a maximum age difference of five years - and though the 15-year-old half-ork is a close-combat sort and the 20-year-old human isn't, I can easily imagine the former being used as a live training partner for the latter in developing his emergency-close-combat skill. Otherwise, well, I can't imagine not knowing who the people living in my own dorm are.
I know Windsight (which is the name everyone would know him by - the alias'll change by the 10th post, just getting y'all used to him) will readily practice with both Marcelano (ranged) and Karina (close); since Panther Style is something I'm planning on him having, he'll keep his close combat capabilities in working order. I can see him debating with both of them and, actually, all three of them being something of a trio, Marcelano and Windsight being the eldest and Karina being more upright than the rest. (The Three Lawfuls, if you will, even though Windsight's 'lawful' is more 'structure and discipline' than 'laws of men'. :P )
I think Windsight would get along well with Lia, despite her Desnain (Desnaic?) apparent flightiness; he's an often-preoccupied sort himself, and I think he would understand if she, in the middle of a conversation, just stopped speaking and started thinking - or even just wandered off. (I think he might treat her as a little sister, if he doesn't have a secret crush on her. Not sure.) He'd definitely enjoy making a kite for her. (Speaking of which - Craft (Kites) into Craft (Bows) or no? I'm good either way.)
Rojava and Gwyddym probably make music together, playing and singing and dancing. (I notice, though, that Rojava doesn't have Perform (String) - has to default, but it's a +3, so ... ;) Might move a point from K-Nature into it, I dunno. :P ) They might also be involved, considering they're the same age. I think Windsight would acknowledge and enjoy their music, but I'm not sure how much they otherwise have in common; combat practice with Rojava (Gwyddym's is still undefined) at the very least.
Believe it or not, the only one I see as being potentially misanthropic in this group is Thorn (or Rat, whichever he prefers). I do think Windsight might connect with him in a bass-ackwards sort of way, as Windsong's a hunter, Thorn a druid; they may well spend time together outside of the city.
Anyhow. That's my two coppers worth!!
To help things along, here's a useful list ...
Character . . . . . . . . | . . Player . . | . Race . | M/F | Age | Sandpoint | Algn | . Deity . .| Class Marcelano Alazario . | HenshinFan |. Human .| . M . .| . 20 . | . 4 years . |. LN . | . Abadar .| Fighter
Lia Tani . . . . . . . . . . | Mordred'o'F |. Human .|. . F . | . 16 . | . 4 years . |. CG . | . Desna . | Arcanist (Blood Arcanist, Dreamspun Bloodline)
Rojava Brishen . . . . .| . rdknight . |. Human .|. . F . .| . 18 . | . 6 years . |. CG . | . Desna . | Bard
Hudok 'Windsight' . . | . . TWO . . . |. Human .| . M . .| . 23 . |. . 1 year . | . LN . | . Erastil . .| Monk (Qinggong Zen Archer)
Thorn 'Rat' . . . . . . . . | . . 12.5% . .|. Human .| . M . .| . 15 . | 5-8 years | . TN . | . Gozreh .| Druid
Karina of the Flame .| Demon Lurk | Half-Orc |. . F . .| . 15 . | . 7 years . |. LG . | Sarenrae | Paladin (Divine Defender, Warrior of the Holy Light, Sacred Shield)
Gwyddym Soarsong | Bimpnottin . |. Human .| . M . .| . 18 . | 18 years . |. NG . | . Shelyn . | Bard
Looking For ...:
Just as a side note - I am still looking for someone to jump into my own (homebrew) game on the boards here, Homecoming. You would be stepping in to create a specific character - a changeling paladin from well out of town. (Eberron-shapeshifting changeling, not PF-standard child-of-a-hag changeling.) Those restrictions - changeling race, paladin class, comes from out of town - is all that is required for the character, as everything else is up in the air / undefined. Drop me a PM if you're interested.
I am currently visiting family over part of the holidays. While I do have internet access and a laptop here, I won't be making many or long posts until I'm back home monday or tuesday-
But let me say that I'm very happy to be here, and doubly so that we're with an GM that won't disappear :)
I think TWO had an interesting point there...since Sandpoint is small, we should probably at least have some prior knowledge of each other. Especially because we're such an exclusive "club" of "choosen-by-the-gods" youths.
Can't quite imagine the "yeah, you are truly special, uniquely choosen by your god. There's a couple others like that here at the cathedral but you won't ever talk to them"-version...I'm open, of course, but I think it's a more natural setup if we do know each other...how much we interacted still is open, of course(as TWO so aptly described Lia, she may not be everybody's cup of tea for friendship/prolonged social interaction...and I guess other characters have their own quirks on which to base how much time is spent between any 2 individuals)
(on that note, TWO: I'm open to both a little sister role and a secret crush one, we can take things fluidly and see what direction we go - She'd definitely enjoy spacing out while watching a Kite dance in the wind-)
either way, checking in, and I think it's a very interesting and great table. Also, it would be interesting to know if Marcellano is commited to ranged or open to switch-hitting. It DOES seem we are rather ranged-based. But will need to take a closer look at everybody again when I'm back home to get a feel for things :)
Yeah, I can imagine Lia and Windsight on a cliff or the beach, flying a kite or two or three for a good long while. I can also easily imagine Windsight crafting butterfly kites. And while I'm not sure a butterfly shape would work for a two-line stunt kite, I'm sure a bow shape would work ... ;) (And maybe he treats her like a little sister -because- he has a secret crush on her ... ;) )
Edit: Block Initiative? What's that? I'm unfamiliar with the term.
Just saw that when reading again...basically it amounts to "US vs THEM" style combat.
so not
Player 1, Player 2, Enemy 1, Player 3, Player 4, Enemy 2, Enemy 3, Player 5, Enemy 4, Player 6, Player 7, Enemy 5,
but rather
Players, Enemies
If initiative for enemies is in the middle of players, such as Players 1-4, Enemies, Players 5-7, then it basically turns into
Players 1-4 act
Enemies
All players
Enemies
It's a rough explanation, but it works a lot better in pbp than regular initiative, as theres no "waiting" for actions or your turn to come up for players. You come online, you can post, because the tactical situation won't change(barring actions of other players, but mostly with blocks it's "first post, first act", so you don't need to wait on other players actions.)
Sorry for the long post, and apologies to GM if my understanding of Block Initiative from the other games I am in is different from his, but I thought I can try and explain it.
Edit: Block Initiative? What's that? I'm unfamiliar with the term.
Just saw that when reading again...basically it amounts to "US vs THEM" style combat.
so not
Player 1, Player 2, Enemy 1, Player 3, Player 4, Enemy 2, Enemy 3, Player 5, Enemy 4, Player 6, Player 7, Enemy 5,
but rather
Players, Enemies
If initiative for enemies is in the middle of players, such as Players 1-4, Enemies, Players 5-7, then it basically turns into
Players 1-4 act
Enemies
All players
Enemies
It's a rough explanation, but it works a lot better in pbp than regular initiative, as theres no "waiting" for actions or your turn to come up for players. You come online, you can post, because the tactical situation won't change(barring actions of other players, but mostly with blocks it's "first post, first act", so you don't need to wait on other players actions.)
Sorry for the long post, and apologies to GM if my understanding of Block Initiative from the other games I am in is different from his, but I thought I can try and explain it.
Wow! A demographic breakdown of Sandpoint! That's the kind of thinking I can appreciate! One thing that should probably get thrown into the analysis is that Golarion, at least those parts detailed, don't tend to follow medieval family patterns all that faithfully. When families are detailed they tend to look more like modern families, well say late 20th century modern families with 2-3 kids. (Now what the farmers out in the boonies around town might be different) Also there are more single individuals than would fit the pattern. So, more more likely a larger number of families (or households) with a smaller number of members each.
Rojava uses her rebec as an accompanying instrument only. She'd never play it without singing. I see it as the difference between a person who sings and plays piano to accompany the singing, versus someone who plays piano in concert. I any case I'll be picking up string at 2nd level.
It's hard to imagine that Rojava wouldn't know everyone, that's sort of her business, but as for compatibilities, let's see. She and Gwyydym would seem to be a logical match, but there's a lot of ambiguity there. They might be good friends. Rojava might have broken his heart :P But Rojava is a free agent baby, and friends, possibly with occasional bennies is as far as that would go. They could also be rivals, a less likely direction for Rojava, but it also depends on how Gwyydym is played. I could also see them as having difficulties communicating about music due to different philosophies of it. If Gwyydym is focused on the music itself as art as a Sheylynite, while Rojava sees it as a medium for communicating with others, they might not get each other very well. Sort of like putting Philip Glass and Bob Dylan in a room together.
I can see Rojava not mixing too easily with the lawful types, nothing too difficult but a "sticks up butts" versus "mend your ways" type of friction. Again depends on individual play. Probably Rojava and Windsight would be most comfortable with each other?
Whether or not Rojava and Ratsy actually hang out, they have broadly compatible socio-political views.
Individual reactions to Lia may vary but in the end I think she's going to be everyone's little sister. Rojava would view her as an adorable puzzle.
One thing for Windsight. There is a monk in town (House of Blue Stones? Something like that?) A woman that he would almost certainly know. He might train with her, etc.
Thanks for the info on block initiative Mordred, and very good insight into character connections TWO. I was already starting to think along similar lines as you regarding who Marcelano would associate the most with from the other blessed children.
In fact I think that Windsight would be the one Marcelano would most likely consider a friend at the start as I see their initial approaches being very similar, though as Marcelano gets more "stick-up-butt" regarding the letter of the law as he learns the laws of the land by picking up Knowledge (Local); I think he'll start trying others patience and someone (I'm actually seeing Karina for this though if others get to it first c'est la vie) chews him out on it causing him to reflect and instigates his turn to LG.
Edit: Where's the gameplay thread? Been looking for it but haven't had any luck.
Oddly, with their similar background (Rat in Magnimar and Karina in Riddleport) there may be some bonding between Rat and Karina. Although she views civilization and the laws of man as things that raised her up out of darkness. She'll probably have tried to convince him of that, so they may have had a falling out over that.
Martial training with Marcelano and Windsight makes a lot of sense. Her being the target of blunted arrows works to all their strengths. The shield has always been her strong point, moreso than the sword.
Until the late unpleasantness, she probably tried to convert goblins from the beach. But after the fire and Father Tobyn's death, she has simply watched them. (They would likely been violent at some point.)
While charismatic, she has never been interested in the arts, so I'm not sure she'd really connect with the bards. Lia on the other hand is destined to start out as everyone's little sister (a very River Tam vibe there).
Also, it would be interesting to know if Marcellano is commited to ranged or open to switch-hitting. It DOES seem we are rather ranged-based. But will need to take a closer look at everybody again when I'm back home to get a feel for things :)
Marcellano has taken Empty Quiver Style, which makes it seem like he's pretty committed to ranged, Of course fighters have so many feats they're almost automatically switch hitters. I've never seen one in action, but by reputation zen archers can melee with a bow very well.
What I wonder is if we will have anyone who can deal high enough damage to end fights quickly. If I were to use my combat allocated feats to melee rather than ranged Rojava could help out. With weapon finesse, arcane strike, and a keen rapier, along with snake style, I can stay in melee alright I think. Snake style would let me use sense motive for my AC and I can use versatile performance to substitute my perform singing for sense motive on the rolls. But I won't hit as reliably and my damage will be lower.
By mid levels we should be doing okay I think, but it looks like every melee option will take a while to come online. We could be hurting at low levels, and we may be lacking in damage output at high levels.
Ugh, I'm very sorry Karina, I forgot about you! With so many of us maybe we're fine for melee damage, even though sword and board tends to be lower damage, You'll still have those smites!
I like the group because of the balance, there are no hevy duty frontliners or blasters, a bunch of Batmen who will need to approach combat strategically. Should make for a really interesting campaign as we proceed!
Once everyone checks in on the I/C thread I will move the game forward.
Over the course of the next 10 days the group can also finalize their various ties to one another.
I will be away the first through the 6th and will update as I am able.
Ugh, I'm very sorry Karina, I forgot about you! With so many of us maybe we're fine for melee damage, even though sword and board tends to be lower damage, You'll still have those smites!
Yeah, no smite. Yet another archetype trade-off.
PRD wrote:
Bastion of Good (Su)
At 1st level, a sacred shield can call upon the powers of good to defend her and her allies against evil. This ability functions as smite evil, except that the paladin gains no benefit on attack or damage rolls against her target. Instead, any attacks the target makes against allies within 10 feet of the paladin deal half damage. Attacks against the paladin deal full damage, but the paladin gains a deflection bonus to her AC equal to her Charisma bonus (if any) against attacks made by the target of the smite. This bonus increases by +1 for every four paladin levels (to a maximum of +6 at 20th level). As with smite evil, if the paladin targets a creature that is not evil, her bastion of good ability is wasted with no effect. Feats, abilities, and the like that increase a paladin’s number of uses of smite evil per day increase a sacred shield’s uses of bastion of good per day.
This ability replaces smite evil.
Karina is all about surviving the long haul. And helping others do the same. Damage output does seem to be our weak point.
I think Windsight will at least enjoy the bards; I would tend to believe (have to do more reading to make sure) that the Shoanti tend more towards skaldic performances, epic sagas and the like - singing, simple instruments, driving rhythms, etc. I haven't thought about his singing voice, though, which is something I usually do. Hm.
I did plot out Windsight's future; once we hit 2nd level Windsight will be the next best thing to a front-line fighter, with 3 standard AoOs for those bad guys who try to break his bow; he's already got a competitive AC. When we hit 3rd he WILL effectively be a front-line fighter, something that gets boosted (AC-wise) at 4th, when he's got 3 standard AoOs + 1 movement AoO, flurry, and 1d8 base melee damage.
I think our main tactics will be suppression fire - wound and let the hardest come in one at a time, take out the rabble; anyone who -really- wants to shoot the opposition in close combat with our front-liner(s) should of course pick up Precise Shot if you haven't already. I disagree that we don't have any heavy damage-dealers; while we may not have an 18 or 20 STR among us, I think we average a pretty good damage output - and anyone Lia touches with her 'bit of luck' power is going to be hammering the enemy. (That works for the -entire- round!!)
Incidentally, re: Lia - you think Windsight taught her unarmed combat, perhaps? Or maybe the two go down to the House of Blue Stones two or three times a week ...
I do wonder some about the un-archetyped characters; were you guys considering archetyping, but wanted to see what was needed, or did y'all want to keep your options open? I can see either way. :) I did notice that we don't have a trapspringer/lockpick among us, though ...
Also am looking to see how Gwyddym is finalized.
Speaking of finalizing - Oh Great And Powerful Oz DMD, any ruling on the two asterisked items on Windsong's character, namely a) saving the feat, and b) whether I can get 'Craft (Kite)' as part of the archery crafting? I have realized that he might've made numerous kites for kids to fly during the festival ...
There is a Trait that allows Disable Device from the Mummy's Mask Player's Guide to be as a Class Skill which would fill as an effective Trapspringer if needed (assuming someone wahts to spend a feat to get 2 traits).
I would not worry overmuch, the AP was designed for 4 PC's, your group is 7!
@Rojava+Rat...Regarding the age gap between Rojava and Rat, should actually only be 2 years...human characters usually start with 16 years earliest according to age table...so Rat should be 16, which, if you are not close to 19, could be a rather small gap of just over an year, then(you just turned 18, he could soon turn 17)-
@close-combat...the problem I see is that while everybody picking up point-blank master is very effective regardless of melee(zen archer automatic, fighter likely, etc...), ranged weapons CAN be shut down quite easily.
Increase Wind levels to where ranged combat is not viable. Fickle Winds spell. Darkness(not only spell, natural too...as mainly humans we have no darkvision or low-light vision), Solid Fog(+other Fogs, including natural). Grapple specialists, warp wood, people with improved Sunder or Disarm(not provoking)...I know most of them will have melee as a backup option, but it could still be bad for us if a single spell(e.g. Fickle Winds) can basically shut down most of our damage output and feat choices...(as the backup melee options may, without invested feats, simple not be powerful enough).
we CAN work around that, but it's something to keep in mind. I run home games, too, and there is a lot of people going for ranged combat in hopes of always getting of full attacks...and some groups have come to regret that decision, just by playing intelligent enemies as intelligent enemies...its a "all eggs in a basket"-style of play that CAN work, or fail spectaculary.
@traps: aye, i noticed that too. One option would be if one of the bards wants to pick up Archeologist Archetype. While it does NOT make them into class skills, they are absolutely great trap monkeys. Would also help to differentiate them a bit from one another if either wants that. And dual-bardic-performances...dunno...they'd have to learn to play well together first, otherwise that would probably be very disharmonic :) Just putting that out there as an option.
@River Tams vibe: I should really take the time to watch Firefly, should I not? Been planning to do so since forever, but always delayed...but now I've got an excellent excuse to do so ^_^
@Karina: Hi Ooran. Just noticed.
As said, I'll write some more about chars and in gameplay once I am back home, but it's very inconvenient using this laptop(old model, small screen, keyboard bugging out sometimes...) but I am very happy to hear that so far Lia seems a likeable character ^_^
I know you only get few chances for first impressions, but it MAY take a while with Lia to gauge the sweet spot between efficient pbp and "out there", so if she doesn't come across as imagined at first, give her a little until she's reached that point. Thanks :)
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This AP BTW tops out at level 15, will have too see what I cab run to bring the group to 20+ :-)
I love that way of thinking :)
(yay spell focused persistant(metamixing) Weird spell) (J/K...or am I?)
In my case regular bard seemed the best option for Desna and the all around feel of the character. It's really hard to beat a plain bard with any of the archetypes. The only ones I like very much are Dawnflower Dervish, Arcane Duelist, and Archaeologist.
Dawnflower Dervish is incredible. I love it! It's also obviously not an option for Desna.
Arcane Duelist is good if you really want to melee, but I kind of feel like too much is traded away for things that you can come close to with a regular bard anyway.
Archaeologist has good flavor and could about halfway work with Rojava's character fluff as written, but I think it would require a goodly amount of reworking the character for it to fly. And it's still not quite a rogue. Quite a bit of work for traps.
Two regular bards seems a bit odd for a party but we'll have inspire courage from dawn to sunset and that's what bards really contribute to a fight.
I am thinking pretty hard about going into the Evangelist prestige class when I qualify.
Is Evangelist even in? I prefer to ask first before planning for that. Aligned Class simply seems too good.
(especially for some base classes...it would increase my HD from D6 to D8, my BaB from 1/2 to 3/4th, skills from 2 to 6, 2 extra class skills, plus all the other boni. Even if I lose out on ONE caster level, evangelist would be too good to pass, alone the extra fluff possible with all those skill points...i could dance in the moonlight, and craft origami-)...
Missed that before:
Quote:
Incidentally, re: Lia - you think Windsight taught her unarmed combat, perhaps?
Could be quite likely...I saw it as a form of instinctive Aikido, but IF there's someone to train with...she can have picked it up there. In that case, she would actually try and use it for self-defense(otherwise would have just seen it as prerequisite), even if not very successful.(But funnily enough, she would likely hold her own in a tavern brawl, since MOST people would provoke when brawling, and even at -1, her damage should sum up...obviously weaving around blows and countering where it hurts, then :))
@Barbarian lock picks...doesn't even take a Barbarian :)
One of my favorite Home-Group characters was a strenght-based Dwarven Rogue fighting with Waraxe and Shield, flanking for Sneaks.
He carried a portable ram called "lockpick" that he inherited from his father...good times. Subtlety was not his strong suit, but gods was he fun to play.
Yup, it's so good it's almost embarrassing. I'm assuming that Evangelist is allowed since it is for Table 1, If it's not for us I don't mind.
I guess when you step back and think about it this is sort of a "rich people's problems" type of conversation. We're a 25 point buy party of 7, each of us with a domain. :)
And yes, you DO need to watch Firefly. The River Tam comparison to Lia is not stretching things at all.
Due to the DMing situation for Table 3 (It seems Desneans like to DM!), Rojava will be shifting to Table 3 and Matrim will be the second Desnean for Table 2 with us.
M Human (Chelaxian) Fighter 1 | AC 16 (t 13) (ff 13) | F+4, R+4, W+3 | CMD 16 | Init +3, Per +3 | HP 11/11 | Hero Points 1
For me, I went with a non-archetyped fighter because I see going for mithril breastplate and maybe even later mithril full-plate as being solid options when combined with Armor Training's bonuses and my focus on dexterity. The Empty Quiver style is more of a back-up in case someone tries to take me on directly. I also didn't want to give up Weapon Training because of the advanced weapon training options I was planning on taking like Versatile Training at 9th level for perception and stealth, and at 13th Focused Weapon to give my crossbow some extra damage; at 13th I also pick up Ace Trip which if you've read it is pretty solid letting me attempt to "trip" flying enemies to send them plummeting to the ground. Was going to pick up the Burrowing Shot weapon mastery feat at 16th via the Advanced Weapon Training feat for the Weapon Mastery option. If you can't tell I really like the options from Weapon Master's Handbook.
M Human (Chelaxian) Fighter 1 | AC 16 (t 13) (ff 13) | F+4, R+4, W+3 | CMD 16 | Init +3, Per +3 | HP 11/11 | Hero Points 1
Overall? Excellent, one of the best Player's Companion's I have ever seen. If your character uses a weapon there's something in there for you. Does it "fix" the fighter? Not completely no, but its definitely part of a trend towards that goal that started with the Ranged Tactics Toolbox. It personally has my expectations set quite high for the upcoming Armor Master's Handbook.
